Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
LiveScience
LiveScience
Deepa Jain

2 long-vanished 'super Earths' once orbited near Neptune in our outer solar system, new study hints

An illustration of the four gas giants of our solar system next to each other in the darkness of space.

Something doesn’t quite add up about the orbits of our solar system’s eight planets and their hundreds of moons, a new study hints.

According to the research — which compared more than 100 simulations of our cosmic neighborhood’s early history — there may have once been two extra giant planets careening around the outer solar system, helping to reshape the orbits of the other planets before ultimately being kicked out into interstellar space.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.